Steam-cooker.



0. B. ALLEN. STEAM COOKER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3, 1910.

Patented Sept 13,1910.

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970,289. Patented Sept 13,1910.

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STEAM-COOKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

Application filed March 3, 1910. Serial No. 547,046.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORVILLE E. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hornell, in the county of Steuben and State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvements in Steam-Cookers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention is an improvement in steam cookers, and itproposes a structure wherein the pressure of the live steam, which isutilized as the cooking and heating agent, maybe regulated at willwithin certain predetermined limits by the adjustment of one of the twomain elements of the cooker relative to the other element.

It further comprehends the production of a cooker wherein theconstruction and arrangement of the two afore-mentioned main elements issuch as to effect the formation of an expansion chamber between saidelements designed to receive a water seal which not only prevents theentrance of dust or dirt into the cooker, but permits the loss of wateroccasioned by evaporation to be compensated by fresh supplies of waterwithout interrupting the cooking operation, and also permits only thesurplus steam to escape.

Finally, it contemplates a cooker whlch and which will operate withequal readiness upon a range and a liquid fuel heater of anyconventional type.

A structural embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the improved cooker. Fig. 2 isa horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is afragmental perspective view of one of the two main elements of thecooker. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of the other main element. Fig. 5is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of the cookerutilized in connection with a difierent type of food receptacle fromthat shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the cookerattached to a liquid fuel heater, the latter being shown partly insection. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view showing a furthermodification of the invention.

From an inspection of the drawings, it will be seen that the cookerconsists, as originally stated, of but two essential elements,

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namely, a vessel or base, generally designated by the letter A, and a.bell-like member B arranged therein. With these two elements there isassociated a support C which may either itself receive the food to becooked or may constitute a stand or mount whereon the food receptaclerests.

The vessel or base A, which is common to all forms of the invention,acts as a water receptacle or reservoir, and is shown as ofsubstantially cylindrical shape. It is provided with an out-turnedcontinuous flange 5 at its upper edge, and with inner and outer supports6 and 7 located, respectively, upon the corresponding faces of its sidewall 8. In the present construction, the inner supports are constitutedby vertically arranged series of lugs or teeth 9 which project laterallyfrom the above-mentioned wall, their upper faces 10 being flat and theirlower faces 11. inclined. The outer supports 7 are in the nature oflateral pins.

The bell B, shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5, is preferably constructed with adouble side wall 12. Adjacent the upper end of this member there isprovided a horizontal partition 13 which divides the interior thereofinto two chambers 14 and 15 of unequal depths, the upper or shallowchamber being employed for dry warming purposes.

The chamber last referred to is closed by a cover 16 comprising a doubletop wall 17.

and a depending side wall 18, the latter wall preferably fitting withinsaid chamber. At its lower edge the bell is formed with a continuousout-turned flange 19 having a series of notches 20 corresponding innumber to the number of series of lugs or teeth 9, with which the baseor vessel A is provided, and in shape to that of said lugs or teeth. Thelower face 21 of this flange is flat, and its upper face 22 inclined,the arrangement being such that when the flange is in cooperativeengagement with said supports, its lower face will rest upon the upperfaces of one set of lugs or teeth, while its upper face will fit againstthe inclined lower faces of the next higher set, as shown in Figs. 1, 5and 7, the bell being supported in this manner in adjusted position withrelation to the base or vessel A.

The outer diameter of the bell is somewhat less than that of the base orvessel, and, consequently, when the former is arranged within thelatter, an intermediate annular chamber 23 will be produced whichcommunicates with the space or chamber below the flange 19 by way of thenotches 20 and also by way of the space between the flange edge and theside wall 8 of the base or vessel.

The food to be cooked by the live steam generated from the water in thevessel A is arranged within the bell, as will be understood. Where it isdesired to utilize the heating action of the steam directly, the supportC shown in Fig. 1 may be employed, S id Support being in the form of awire rack upon the horizontal members 2a of Which the food or the dishescontaining the same are placed. On the other hand, where the food hasalready been cooked, and is merely to be kept in a heated condition, itmay be placed in an ordinarydinner pail 2 5, or the like, (see Fig. 5),which is supported upon the low rack or stand 0. The last-mentionedstand may also be employed for supporting a pan or kettle 26, as shownin Fig. 7 in this instance, however, a shallow bell B is preferably madeuse of. In order to enable the progress of the cooking to be watched, asuitable window 27 is provided in the full-sized bell, and, in fact, inthe shallow bell B as well, illustration thereof in the latterconstruction being omitted.

In the operation of the apparatus, water is poured into the vessel A,after which the food to be heated or cooked is placed either in thecompartments of the rack C, or in the proper receptacle, when the standC is to be employed. The bell is then placed over the receptacle or rackin the manner shown, and its flange 19 engaged with the proper set oflugs or teeth 9, whereby it is held at the proper distance from thebottom of the vessel. During the operation of adjusting the bell, itsflange is submerged in the water, the water above said flangeconstituting a seal, as will be apparent, which prevents escape of steamexcept by way thereof, and further prevents entry of dust or dirt intothe interior of the bell. The depth of this seal is varied by theadjustment of the bell within the vessel A, and consequently suchadjustment will in turn regulate the pressure within said bell, sincethe steam can escape through the seal much more readily when the latteris shallow than when it is deep. In other words, when the bell islowered to its utmost extent, the steam pressure, and, therefore, theheat within the bell is greatest, and will decrease as the bell israised. The surplus steam escaping through the water seal passes intothe annular chamber 23 where it is free to expand, the production ofthis chamber enabling water to be poured into the vessel from time totime j to compensate for the loss by evaporation.

N o interruption of the cooking operation is necessary, however, duringsuch periodic refilling. I

The heating of the water for the purpose of steam generation may beaccomplished by placing the apparatus upon a cook stove or range ofordinary construction, or upon a lamp or the like.

In Fig. 6, there is shown a liquid fuel heater to which the apparatus isparticularly well adapted for attachment. This heater, which isindicated generally by the letter D, has its fuel receptacle 28 andburner 29 inclosed within the inner of two concentric chambers separatedby an annular wall 30, the upper edge of which is turned outwardly andjoined to the outer wall proper 31 of the heater, this out-turnedportion constituting a support 32 upon which the cooker is adapted torest. 'The attachment of thecooker to the heater is effected" by meansof the reception of the pins 7 in a series of bayonet slots 33 formed inthe upper portion of the heater wall 31.

When the connection of the bell with the vessel A is effected by theinter-engagement of the flange 19 with the inner series of supports 6 asabove described, the cooker may be readily carried from place to placeby means of the handles 34 with which said bell is provided. The heaterD may likewise be connected to the cooker and carried aboutwith thelatter. Where the small-sized bell B is employed, provision of thehandles is not essential, since the flange 5 on the vessel A will servethe same purpose. The bell may be readily removed from the base orvessel for cleaning or other purposes, by merely disconnecting itsflange from the supports 6.

I claim as my invention:

1. A steam cooker comprising an opentopped water receptacle, a hollowelement adjustable vertically therein for containing the steam generatedfrom the water, said element having its lower end submerged in the waterto produce a seal and having its side Wall spaced from that of saidreceptacle to produce an interposed annular chamber wherein the seallies, and cooperating means arranged within said chamber for supportingsaid element at different heights to vary the depth of said seal.

2. A steam cooker comprising a water receptacle provided with aplurality of vertical series of supports, and a hollow element adaptedto contain the steam generated from the Water adjustable in saidreceptacle and provided with a single out-turned flange arranged forinterchangeable engagement with said series of supports, to maintainsald element in adjusted position.

3. A steam cooker comprising a water receptacle pro-vided with aplurality of vertical series of supports, and a hollow elepermit saidelement to be vertically adjusted 10 ment adapted to contain the steamgenerated and malntained in adjusted position. from the water adjustablein said receptacle In testimony whereof I have hereunto set and havingits lower end submerged in the my hand in presence of two subscribingwitwater therein to produce a water seal, said nesses.

end being provided with an out-turned ORVILLE E. ALLEN. flange arrangedfor engagement with said WV1tnesses: series of supports and formed withnotches J. G. Moore,

adapted for registration with the same, to GARD W. FORD.

